The power of independent musicians is growing while the need for gatekeepers is lessening. Social and digital media have allowed musicians to grow their brand and make a sustainable living easier than before. Here are for 4 music marketing & content ideas for musicians:
1. Research what your audience wants to see
For musicians, research and data are critical in marketing.
As creatives, we put a lot of pride into what we do. Our work is the expression of our dreams, thoughts, or desires. However, that does not necessarily mean our audiences will share sentiments to our interests.
Once we create digital content there is no control over how it’s received. Thus, it is imperative to have an understanding of our fans.
You can do this by looking at the analytics of your social media and looking for trends. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Tik Tok, for example, have analytical tools. They all vary, but in general, you can look at information like male to female ratio, post-performance, location, age, etc.
Use this information to spot trends, see what posts work best, and so on.
However, you can also take a qualitative approach and ask directly. You can engage with your audience and have your fans give you feedback. This can be done by asking questions directly through direct messaging, posts, polls, and surveys.
2. Interact with your audience
Personal branding is all about community.
Engage with your audience and go the extra mile. When someone comments on your content, respond–even if it is you saying thank you.
If a new connection adds you on LinkedIn send them a voice note or say hello.
Your goal is to build rapport with people and allow them to create an emotional connection with you.
Nevertheless, these are the people who will come to your events and listen to your music. Like any successful music brand, the fanbase is what drives demand,
Thus, it is your job to start this and continue that as you grow your career. If someone shows interest in your content that could be a potential superfan.
Engage with them.
3. Develop a content marketing strategy for now and the future
We live in a world where digital content drives the way we communicate. Billions of people collectively post articles, pictures, audio, and video on social media every day.
Without content, many of the platforms would be digital poster boards without engagement, discussion, and the sharing of ideas.
Develop a strategy for now and the future. For example, voice and audio are becoming a component of how we will live.
Just like how the cell phone revolutionized human communication, it is the next frontier. We have seen this through the rise of things like podcasts, voice search, etc.
The moral of the story is–be ahead of the curve while maintaining marketability for the present.
4. Make sure you have a website
With the daily and rapid change of social media, your content is vulnerable to that change.
For example, last year in 2020 former president Trump made an effort to ban TikTok. TikTok has become an important branding and discovery tool for musicians. It is a platform that it has influenced charting records.
Could you imagine the impact it would have had on the music community if those plans had gone through?
Nevertheless, a website is more than a place to host all your information about your music, content, and biographical information.
You can also set up a digital storefront to sell merchandise and tickets to your events.
Furthermore, optimizing your website and content can improve searchability and rank on search engines through search engine optimization or SEO.
Do not fall into the hype of websites that are not relevant anymore. If effectively used a website can be a powerful branding tool.
